Slow Cooker Ground Beef Stew (Poor Man's Hamburger Stew)
Easy slow cooker ground beef stew recipe, homemade with simple ingredients and lots of potatoes and carrots. This hearty meal is also known as poor man's stew. Full of tender meat and savory herb infused broth.
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil Divided
- 1.5 pounds Ground beef
- 1.5 cups Onion Finely chopped
- 1 cup Celery Roughly chopped
- 2 Carrots Medium size, Peeled, Cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cloves Garlic Finely minced
- 4 Red potatoes Washed and scrubbed clean, Patted dry, Medium size, Cut into large 1.5 inch chunks
- 3 cups Beef broth Low sodium, Can use chicken broth if that's all you have in your pantry
- 1 teaspoon Beef bouillon base Optional but highly recommended
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 sprigs Fresh thyme Add more or less depending on your preference
- 1-2 sprigs Fresh rosemary Add more or less depending on your preference
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1.5 tablespoon Cornstarch Dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon Parsley Fresh, finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat.
- Add ground beef and break it up into smaller chunks.
- Cook until browned and no longer pink. It does not have to be fully cooked.
- Drain fat and transfer this beef to slow cooker.
- In the same pan, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium high heat.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, potatoes and sute for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant. The potatoes don't need to be fully cooked.
- Transfer veggie mixture to the crockpot.
- Add broth, beef bouillon base, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, pepper, tomato paste and mix until combined.
- Cover and cook on Low heat for for 6-7 hours or until veggies (especially potatoes) are tender but not mushy.
- Mix in cornstarch slurry and let it cook uncovered for 5-10 minutes on Low heat until stew is thickened slightly.
- If you prefer a thinner stew, mix in some more broth. If you prefer a thicker stew, continue cooking uncovered for longer or mix in a bit more cornstarch slurry.
- Discard sprigs of thyme and rosemary as well as the bay leaf.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy.
Notes
- I like to use a multifunctional slow cooker which has the "Saute" feature and allows me to brown the ground beef and even saute the veggies. This means less pots and pans to clean later.
- Try different herbs or spice blends like Italian seasoning, sage, basil, oregano, tarragon, bay leaves e.t.c.
- I know the beef bouillon base is optional but I highly recommend adding it to this recipe since it enhances the flavor so much.
- Be sure to drain fat from the browned beef to prevent this meal from being too greasy.
- Use low sodium ingredients to prevent this meal from becoming too salty.
- Served as a filling meal on its own but you can serve alongside bread sticks, dinner rolls or toasted sourdough bread.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave with a splash of water or broth because it will become thicker as it cools and chills.
Nutrition
Calories: 489kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 27gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 255mgPotassium: 1207mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 3633IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 4mg
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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